Structure of Lenten Daily (Abbreviated)

Below is the abbreviated order for Lenten Daily Orthros from the which takes about one to accomplish. Portions listed in bold may be omitted as they fall outside of Lenten Daily Orthros.

For Lenten Daily Orthros, parishes will need to keep handy the Liturgikon from the Antiochian Archdiocese, the Great , the and the According to the Seventy from Holy Transfiguration Monastery, and the Lenten Triodion and its Supplement from Mother Mary and .

I. The Beginning of Daily Orthros on Monday of the first week of : 1. The Midnight Service is not sung.1 2. The makes a simple metania (not prostration) and enters the Altar, puts on his epitrachelion (stole) over his exorasson and takes the censer while standing in front of the Holy Table. 3. The priest makes the sign of the cross with the censer saying “Blessed is our God…” 4. The reader, without metanias: “Holy God…Glory…All Holy …Glory…Our Father…”. 5. The priest: “For thine is the Kingdom…” 6. The reader: “Amen. Lord have mercy” (12x). 7. The priest immediately intones, “Glory to the Holy Consubstantial…” 8. And the reader begins the Hexapsalmos, or Six (as given below).

II. The Beginning of Daily Orthros during the rest of Great Lent, except for Saturdays, Sundays, on Thursday of the Great , and the Annunciation: 1. We sing all of the Midnight Service. Near the conclusion (Liturgikon 117), we chant: 2. The three troparia of contrition in Tone Six: “Have mercy on us, O Lord… Glory… O Lord, have mercy on us… Both Now… Open unto us the door…” (Liturgikon 85- 86 or Great Horologion 213) 3. The priest says the litany “Have mercy on us… Again we pray for all Orthodox… Again we pray of our (hierarch)… Again we pray that He will keep this Holy … Hear us O God our Savior…” (Liturgikon 106) 4. Then the Small and the litany “Let us pray for the peace…” all the way through “Through the …” 5. The priest enters the Sanctuary and puts on his epitrachelion (stole) and begins Orthros by saying “Blessed is our God…” 6. The reader says the Prayers and Lord’s , followed by the priest’s exclamation “For Thine is the Kingdom…” (at this point the priest begins the great censing of the church from in front of the Holy Table) 7. Lord have mercy 12x, Glory… Both now…, “Come let us worship…” followed by Psalms 19 and 20, and then Glory… Both now… 8. Trisagion Prayers in full, through the Lord’s Prayer and priest’s exclamation.

1 On Monday of the first week of Great Lent, is omitted in Greek use, but is said in Slav use.

Lenten Daily Orthros 1 Abbreviated Rubrics 9. Then the readers read the troparia “O Lord, save Thy people… Glory…Do thou Who of thine own good will… Both now…O Champion dread…” (while these are read, the priest finishes the censing and enters the Sanctuary) 10. The priest says the usual litany. 11. After the exclamation, the reader says “In the name of the Lord, father bless.” 12. The priest intones “Glory to the Holy Consubstantial…”2 13. And the reader begins the Hexapsalmos, or Six Psalms (as given below)

III. The rest of Daily Orthros on weekdays during Great Lent: 1. The standard hexapsalmos (six psalms) of Orthros. 2. The Great Litany and the priest’s exclamation. 3. “Alleluia” in the tone of the week with its verses, “My soul seeks thee early in the night watches…” (Great Horologion 67-68; Lenten Triodion 71) 4. The Hymns to the Trinity (Triadika) in the tone of the week. (Great Horologion 68-72; Lenten Triodion 662-667) 5. No little litany and exclamation. 6. The poetic kathismata (sessionals) of repentance in the tone of the week from the back of the Triodion (Lenten Triodion 668-699) as appointed for all of the versifications. 7. Psalm 50 plainly read. 8. The priest’s intercession: “O God, save Thy people…” 9. “Lord, have mercy” 12x and the exclamation “Through the mercies and compassions…”

IV. If Lenten Daily Orthros will continue without the chanting the Biblical Odes from the Great Horologion, follow this order: 1. Read the from the Menaion, but if none, read the martyricon3 from the Triodion in the tone of the week (Lenten Triodion 668-699) 2. Read the synaxarion from the Menaion, which the priest concludes with the line “Through the intercession of Thy , O Christ our God...” 3. Chant “We praise, we bless, and we worship the Lord,” followed by the last heirmos of the eighth ode of the second canon from the Triodion. 4. The priest exclaims “The and the Mother of the Light,” and the choir follows with the Magnifications while he censes the church. 5. Chant the last heirmos of the ninth ode of the canon from the Triodion, followed by “It is truly meet… More honorable…”

V. The Conclusion of Lenten Daily Orthros: 1. After the 9th Ode is complete, say the Little Litany and the exclamation “For all the powers of heaven praise Thee.” 2. The Hymns of Light (Photagogikon) for the tone of the week, said thrice, with the appropriate final clause as shown in the back of the Triodion. 3. Read Psalms 148-150 4. Say “Glory… Both Now…” followed by “To thee belongeth glory…” 5. Say the Little Doxology.

2 This order is according to our . However, many churches follow the order of the first Monday throughout Great Lent, except on Saturday, Sunday, Thursday of the Great Canon, and the Annunciation. 3 If there is a kontakion, then we say the martyricon at the end of the mesodion .

Lenten Daily Orthros 2 Abbreviated Rubrics 6. The litany and the priest’s exclamation. 7. The aposticha from the Triodion (Lenten Triodion, 73-74). 8. The priest says “It is a good thing…” and the readers follow with the Trisagion Prayers. 9. The priest says “For Thine is the Kingdom” and the reader follows with “Standing in the temple of thy glory…” 10. “Lord, have mercy” (forty times) 11. “Glory… Both Now” followed by “More honorable…” 12. “In the name of the Lord, Father bless.” 13. The priest intones: “Christ our God, the existing One…” 14. The Reader responds: “Amen. O heavenly King, support the faithful...” 15. The Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian said twice with four prostrations. 16. The Dismissal.

VII. The during Great Lent: Follow the order found in the Lenten Triodion, Liturgikon and Great Horologion. Note: 1. If the First Lenten Hour follows Lenten Daily Orthros without interruption, we say neither the dismissal from Orthros nor the Trisagion Prayers at the start of the First Hour, but rather “Come let us worship…” 2. In the Sixth Lenten Hour, before “Let thy compassions quickly go before us…” (Liturgikon 184) we say the first prokeimenon, the Old Testament prophecy, and then the second prokeimenon.

Lenten Daily Orthros 3 Abbreviated Rubrics